Broodiness or Something Else?

[mts526]

I have a white rock who was laying very regularly in late morning, in the coop from about 11-12. The last few days, I noticed she has been coming out later, yesterday around 4pm. (I was at work so I'm not sure how long she was in there laying/sitting.) Also, the last two eggs have had some tiny dark brown speckles instead of the normal solid light brown.

Today, she's on the nest at 8am, which has never happened before. I remove her egg daily, but I do still have clay eggs as I have two hens which I think are going to start laying soon.

Should I remove the clay eggs to see what happens? Are there any explanations besides broodiness?

 

[3KillerBs]

I have a white rock who was laying very regularly in late morning, in the coop from about 11-12. The last few days, I noticed she has been coming out later, yesterday around 4pm. (I was at work so I'm not sure how long she was in there laying/sitting.) Also, the last two eggs have had some tiny dark brown speckles instead of the normal solid light brown.

Today, she's on the nest at 8am, which has never happened before. I remove her egg daily, but I do still have clay eggs as I have two hens which I think are going to start laying soon.

Should I remove the clay eggs to see what happens? Are there any explanations besides broodiness?

Hens do not always lay at the same time because the time it takes to form an egg is not an exact 24 hours.

 

[Egg Snatcher]

Hens do not always lay at the same time because the time it takes to form an egg is not an exact 24 hours.

Agree

You’ll know if a hen is broody. They’ll make clucking sounds, be protective of their nest, puff out the wings and feathers when they are walking around the coop, and if they are sitting on eggs they make a funny noice and puff their body up when you go to collect eggs

 

[Ridgerunner]

My test for a hen being broody enough to deserve hatching eggs is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of in her normal sleeping spot. Two consecutive nights, not just one night. What happens during the day is not important to me as far as them being broody. They may have some broody behaviors but not be committed broody, just maybe thinking about it.

the last two eggs have had some tiny dark brown speckles instead of the normal solid light brown.

To me that is normal, I would not be concerned at all.

Should I remove the clay eggs to see what happens? Are there any explanations besides broodiness?

I would not remove those eggs. They might help show the new ones where to lay. You don't get guarantees with that but having the fake eggs in the nest improve your odds of those two actually laying in the nest when they start.

I don't know what is going on with that white rock. With living animals about anything can happen but that does not sound like broody behavior to me. I don't know your flock make-up, how many chickens and their ages and sexes. Her being on that nest this morning could have something to do with flock dynamics or the pecking order.

Some hens consistently lay at the same time each day though they may skip a day. Many lay a little later each day until are laying so late they skip a day so they aren't laying at night.

Did she lay an egg fairly late yesterday and again this morning? Did this morning's egg look normal? It would be unusual if she did not skip a day when switching from laying late to laying early but even that is not unheard of. This is the only thing you've said that sounds the least bit unusual, that she did not skip a day when transitioning from laying late afternoon to the morning.

How long has she been laying? If she started in the last week or so the unusual is even more normal as she gets the kinks out of her internal egg laying system.

 

[mts526]

My test for a hen being broody enough to deserve hatching eggs is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of in her normal sleeping spot. Two consecutive nights, not just one night. What happens during the day is not important to me as far as them being broody. They may have some broody behaviors but not be committed broody, just maybe thinking about it.


To me that is normal, I would not be concerned at all.


I would not remove those eggs. They might help show the new ones where to lay. You don't get guarantees with that but having the fake eggs in the nest improve your odds of those two actually laying in the nest when they start.

I don't know what is going on with that white rock. With living animals about anything can happen but that does not sound like broody behavior to me. I don't know your flock make-up, how many chickens and their ages and sexes. Her being on that nest this morning could have something to do with flock dynamics or the pecking order.

Some hens consistently lay at the same time each day though they may skip a day. Many lay a little later each day until are laying so late they skip a day so they aren't laying at night.

Did she lay an egg fairly late yesterday and again this morning? Did this morning's egg look normal? It would be unusual if she did not skip a day when switching from laying late to laying early but even that is not unheard of. This is the only thing you've said that sounds the least bit unusual, that she did not skip a day when transitioning from laying late afternoon to the morning.

How long has she been laying? If she started in the last week or so the unusual is even more normal as she gets the kinks out of her internal egg laying system.

Thanks, she ended up coming off the nest around 9am without having laid and has been acting normally in the run since. So I'll expect to see her lay even later today or possibly tomorrow AM if she is transitioning like you mentioned.

I only have the 3 hens, all 6-7 months old. The white rock started laying in September (at 19 weeks) while the other two (a Buff Orpington and a Welsummer) haven't yet started. The white rock is in the middle of the pecking order as far as I can tell.